Hi! I'm Alvaro Castañeda, best known as "varomix". I lost a little of my self back in 1993 at a Jurassic Park screening, and that totally changed my life. Toy Story finished the job in 1995 - there was no turning back! I started my way in 3D back in 1998, first using 3ds Max, then Cinema4D and finally in 1999, I met Maya 2.0. Since then I've done CGI for print, web, TV, Film, DVD, I guess anything that has pixels in it!

In his second amazing Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through how to completely pulverize characters and objects using Side Effect's Houdini 11. Today's section deals with setting up the basic node-network whilst the next part will look at how to finish the effect and art-direct the dynamics to ensure we get the look we want. Look no further if you want to see just how creative Houdini allows you to be...

In his second amazing Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through how to completely pulverize characters and objects using Side Effect's Houdini 11. Today's section deals with setting up the basic node-network whilst the next part will look at how to finish the effect and art-direct the dynamics to ensure we get the look we want. Look no further if you want to see just how creative Houdini allows you to be...Read More…

This week Cgtuts+ brings you another amazing two part, in-depth Houdini tutorial, available exclusively to our Premium subscribers. The tutorial follows Houdini artist Alvaro Castaneda as he walks us through the creation of this awesome animated pinboard scene.

This week Cgtuts+ brings you another amazing two part, in-depth Houdini tutorial, available exclusively to our Premium subscribers. The tutorial follows Houdini artist Alvaro Castaneda as he walks us through the creation of this awesome animated pinboard scene.Read More…

In this, the final part of his second amazing Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through the final stages of how to completely pulverize characters and objects using Side Effect's Houdini 11. After setting up the basic node-network in part 1, today we look at how to finish the effect and art-direct the dynamics to ensure we get the look we want. Look no further if you want to see just how creative Houdini allows you to be...

In this, the final part of his second amazing Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through the final stages of how to completely pulverize characters and objects using Side Effect's Houdini 11. After setting up the basic node-network in part 1, today we look at how to finish the effect and art-direct the dynamics to ensure we get the look we want. Look no further if you want to see just how creative Houdini allows you to be...Read More…

In the concluding part of our very first Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda shows us how to take the nodes we created from part 1 and convert them into an amazing Auto-Fence digital asset - something that shows just why Houdini can be such a powerful part of the VFX workflow.

In the concluding part of our very first Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda shows us how to take the nodes we created from part 1 and convert them into an amazing Auto-Fence digital asset - something that shows just why Houdini can be such a powerful part of the VFX workflow.Read More…

In our very first Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through how to create an amazing Auto-Fence asset, and in doing so shows just why Houdini can be such a powerful part of the VFX workflow.

In our very first Houdini tutorial, Alvaro Castaneda walks us through how to create an amazing Auto-Fence asset, and in doing so shows just why Houdini can be such a powerful part of the VFX workflow.Read More…

In the second part of this detailed 3-day Premium tutorial series, Alvaro Castaneda continues showing the workflow he uses to integrate CG elements with live action footage – a key aspect of Visual Effects work.

In the second part of this detailed 3-day Premium tutorial series, Alvaro Castaneda continues showing the workflow he uses to integrate CG elements with live action footage – a key aspect of Visual Effects work.Read More…

Set extension and/or CG integration with live action footage is a key aspect of Visual Effects work, and it’s our job as CG artists to ensure that we use a suitable workflow for the job at hand.

Set extension and/or CG integration with live action footage is a key aspect of Visual Effects work, and it’s our job as CG artists to ensure that we use a suitable workflow for the job at hand.Read More…